Ex-UMBC player Zach Clark to be activated for Orioles tonight in Seattle

Dan ConnollyThe Baltimore Sun

Right-hander Zach Clark, the former UMBC player who was added to the club’s 40-man roster this offseason, will be activated by the Orioles tonight in Seattle, an organizational source said.

He will provide some bullpen insurance as the Orioles are in the middle of an 11-game road trip on the West Coast.

Clark is a pretty incredible story. A non-drafted free agent out of UMBC in 2006, the Newark, Del., native was signed by the club’s local baseball guru, Dean Albany.

Clark, who turns 30 in July, is in his eighth year in the minors without ever getting a big-league sniff until now.

He may be returning soon to the minors -- the Orioles under Dan Duquette are known for shuffling players back and forth. He may not get into a game if the Orioles don’t need another long man in the next few days.

But soon he’ll be able to say he is a major leaguer.

The Orioles have not made a corresponding move yet. Because manager Buck Showalter wants to stick with a four-man bench, one has to assume a pitcher will come off the 25-man roster.

One scenario would be optioning lefty Zach Britton, who started Monday’s game in Seattle, but that would then create an opening for starting pitcher Saturday in Los Angeles.

So nothing has been determined yet on the corresponding move from what I can tell.

By the way, catcher Chris Snyder will be activated today as well. That corresponding move, the optioning of Luis Exposito, occurred late last night.